So, I was just going over the course offerings at UMaine for the Fall and decided to register for a class in Copy Editing - good skill to have if you write, I should think. The course is actually in the Journalism Department, where I started my academic career before transferring and getting a BA in Political Science and then the MFA. But going over the requirments for the BA in Journalism, I realized that I only need 18 credit hours in the department, including the copy editing class, for another degree. Is it worth it? Another part of the equation is that I used to be a journalist - and I absolutely fucking hated it. I worked seven days a week, 14-plus hours a day. I went through two bottles of Pepto Bismol a week. And my boss was this wrinkled old troll that should have died twenty years before. To tell you the macarbe truth, I can't wait to see his obituary in the paper so I can go piss on his grave. I also had to deal with his psychotic son who I almost got into a fist fight with after he threw a phone book at me. (I got my vicarous revenge when I watched from my office window as some guy beat the living shit out of him in front of the building.) So, the chances of ever taking a 9-to-5 as a reporter ever again is pretty slim.
So, should this be a legitimate pursuit? Would another BA on my resume mean anything? It will have to be done over the next year-and-a-half, so a couple of classes a semester worth of work at a time. Advice?
4 comments:
You know, I just can't see working toward a degree in a field that you hate.
However, if you think a copy editing class would be interesting and helpful to you, then, yes, I'd take the class.
What would you have to gain, aside from more debt and ulcers? You're already overqualified to work for any newspaper in this state.
Having done copyediting and bibliographies for magazines and manscripts free lance, I can tell you it isn't something you want to do full-time. But maybe a class would be benficial to your own writing. I can't see that it would take 15 weeks though. Just a good book should do it.
I know the temptation of a class, especially a free class. You're on a roll with your writing and the fact you can't seem to write anything short screams novel time.
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